Opposition to Gov't plan to abolish ATSIC

PM - Tuesday, 15 June , 2004 18:28:00

Reporter: Liz Foschia

MARK COLVIN: The Federal Government's plan to abolish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, ATSIC, has suffered a setback.

Labor will join the Democrats and Greens to refer the bill, which has already passed through the Lower House, to a Senate select committee for investigation.

Labor's Indigenous Affairs spokesman, Kerry O'Brien, has told around 250 protesters outside Parliament House in Canberra today that the committee would report back by October.

But with sackings starting and other staff being reassigned, what sort of organisation will be left by then?

Liz Foschia reports.

LIZ FOSCHIA: Sixteen researchers assigned to ATSIC commissioners around the country were sent emails on the weekend from the pro-government executive put in place to administer the body, telling them they've been fired.

Many might have already suspected their fate.

They received similar termination notices last week, only to be told several hours later it was a mistake.

The error, it now appears, was that the emails were sent out too soon.

It's actions like these, plus the reassigning of staff within ATSIC to other Federal government departments, that Commissioners are trying to keep a lid on while they fight the abolition of the organisation.

New South Wales Commissioner, Rick Griffiths, says it's being dismantled piece by piece.

RICK GRIFFITHS: The administration, the CEO of ATSIC and the Acting CEO of ATSIC, tow weeks ago indicated that there would be no staff losses by commissioners and resources would stay in place while ever the ATSIC legislation was still in place. ATSIC is still there, the legislation is still in place and we believe they have acted unlawfully also by taking our staff away. This has become very messy and it is going to be a bitter and dirty fight.

LIZ FOSCHIA: He has great hopes for the Senate inquiry.

RICK GRIFFITHS: We believe that the terms of reference for the Senate inquiry will be quite broad. We will also have a look at the shortcomings, or the failings, I believe of other government departments and mainstream agencies and the fact that we've been calling for quite some time for a review in the administration and the decisions that are made by public servants.

And there are other key issues also. We're hoping that this Senate inquiry will be so broad that it will also look at the possible failings of the Government in terms of the Royal Commission, into Aboriginal deaths in custody.

LIZ FOSCHIA: Labor's Indigenous Affairs spokesman, Kerry O'Brien, has urged members of the indigenous community to make submissions to the inquiry, so as has his Democrats counterpart Aden Ridgeway.

Senator Ridgeway also told Aboriginal protestors in Canberra today his party will try to overturn the recent sackings.

ADEN RIDGEWAY: We will move an amendment to the appropriation bills to restore the funding, to put the research staff back in place that have been recently sacked. These are people that have families, they have mortgages, they have kids going to school, they have bills that need to be met and those bills must be paid for by this government.

LIZ FOSCHIA: The Indigenous Affairs Minister, Amanda Vanstone, is not concerned by news of a Senate inquiry.

A spokesman says the Government will continue with its plans to reform the delivery of indigenous services.